Read What Shakira Says. Via Yahoo!

Looking at Shakira and her fabulous figure you might be surprised to learn it was only three months ago that she gave birth to son Milan. But the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer reveals that dropping the pounds was no cake walk. While promoting “The Voice” in Pasadena, California, on Monday, the blond bombshell revealed, "[Losing baby weight] is the only thing that’s been a little stressful … I knew I had to come back here to do ‘The Voice’ two months after I had delivered a baby. I didn’t have my four months of maternity like every woman on Earth has. I’m not trying to complain, but it’s been a process full of challenges.”

Photo source: omg INSIDER & Yahoo

The 36-year-old mama added that the pressure to shed the baby weight at record speed is something that she feels the previous generations didn't face. She said, “I think that our mothers and grandmothers weren’t under the pressure women of today are after delivering a baby. My dad says there’s nothing better than meat over the bones. So he likes my mom a little chubby. She was never under the pressure to have to get to her old weight — and she never did.”

And while the blond bombshell seems to be loving her role as a new mommy, she is candid about struggles of motherhood. She joked to Us Weekly, "I didn't expect babies to need so many diapers! Nobody told me they needed to be changed so often!" She continued, "I mean he's a great, great baby. He's an easy one, I think. But nobody told me it would be this hard. It takes a lot of energy from you. But I love it, I'm really enjoying every bit of it. It's just that it's not as idyllic as everybody tells you, but also not as horrible as everyone tells you." We have to say, we love her honesty!

Check out the vid to hear which fitness trend Shakira credits for her killer post-baby body!

Follow Abel RK on twitter @robins_abel; @abel_robins; @abelkalamata

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This is What Sir Alex Ferguson + Manchester United Did in the Dressing Room After the Match that Crowned them Champions

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Obama and Bush, distinct men with policy overlaps. Via Yahoo News!

Despite vast differences with President George W. Bush on ideology, style and temperament, President Barack Obama has stuck with Bush policies or aspirations on a number of fronts, from counterterrorism to immigration, from war strategy to the global fight against AIDS.

Even on tax policy, where Bush advocated lower tax rates for all and Obama pushed for higher rates on the rich, Bush's tax cuts for the middle class not only have survived under Obama, they have become permanent.

Obama inherited from his predecessor two military conflicts, a war on terror and a financial crisis. He also inherited, and in time embraced, the means with which to confront them.

On Thursday, Obama will attend the dedication of Bush's presidential library in Texas, a tableau that will draw attention to two distinct men — a Republican and a Democrat from different ends of the political spectrum, political foils with polarized constituencies.

Indeed, Obama ran for president in 2008 as the anti-Bush, critical of the war against Iraq and of the economic policies of the preceding eight years.

But in his more than four years of governing, Obama has also adopted or let stand a series of Bush initiatives, illustrating how the policies of one administration can take hold and how the realities of governing often limit solutions.

Bush's signature education plan, No Child Left Behind, remains the law of the land, though the Obama administration has granted states waivers to give them flexibility in meeting performance targets. A Bush Medicare prescription drug plan, criticized for its cost, is now popular with beneficiaries, and Obama has sought to improve it by providing relief for seniors with high bills. Obama continued the unpopular bank bailouts and expanded the auto industry rescue that Bush initiated in 2008.

Bush authorized a military surge in Iraq in an effort to tame the conflict there. Obama completed the withdrawal of troops from Iraq but also authorized a military surge in Afghanistan before beginning a drawdown of troops that is expected to be completed at the end of 2014.

"The responsibilities of office drive presidents toward pragmatism," said Joshua Bolten, a former Bush chief of staff. Where those policies are effective, he added, "the successor has good reason to adopt them."

Obama, like Bush during his presidency, is seeking an overhaul of immigration laws that give 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally a chance to get on a path toward citizenship. Bush came up short in 2007, but Bolten believes that six years later the nation and its politicians are in a different place.

"President Bush was just ahead of his time and his party in recognizing both the importance of reaching some sort of bipartisan accommodation and on what the elements of that might reasonably be," he said.

Bruce Buchanan, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes on the presidency, says it's not uncommon for presidents to hand off their agendas to another. Even measures or issues that were unpopular under one president can appear different with the passage of time and under the direction of a new occupant in the White House.

"While the names of the problems are the same, the stage of development is usually very different and the public stance of the president dealing with them is often very different," he said. "You have to be sensitive to those things lest you create the false impression that they are mirror images of one another, which I don't think would be accurate."

On no front are the similarities more striking than on counterterrorism. Obama did vow to end the harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding that had been employed during the Bush administration, and he issued an executive order upon becoming president declaring that the United States would not engage in torture.

But other practices continued and, in some case, expanded under Obama.

"The basic similarity is these are the only two presidents that have governed in a post-9/11 era, where the principal threat to the United States comes from terrorism," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser. "President Obama believes that we're at war with al-Qaida and its affiliated groups, has continued to take direct action against al-Qaida networks overseas and has continued to pursue very aggressive intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security measures that have been developed since 9/11."

Jack Goldsmith, who was an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel during Bush's first term, says Obama's use of warrantless surveillance, military detentions without trial and increased drone strikes has received less pushback than it would under a Republican president.

Goldsmith, now a law professor at Harvard Law School, argued in a blog post after Obama's election that the public "generally trust the former constitutional law professor and civil liberties champion more than a Republican president to carry out these policies."

He added that "many on the left (in Congress and the NGO community, and perhaps the press) who might otherwise be uncomfortable with these policies will give President Obama a freer hand than they would a Republican president."

Still, Rhodes sees significant differences in Obama's national security approach.

Bush, Rhodes said, had defined the broad conflict as a war on terrorism and included Iraq as part of that war.

"We redefined the war as something more narrow, which was a war against al-Qaida and its affiliates, not against other states, not against nonaffiliated terrorist groups," Rhodes said.

Republican Sen. John McCain has a unique perch to assess both presidents. He ran against both — in 2000 against Bush for the Republican nomination and in 2008 against Obama. He allied himself with both men on immigration and called on them to increase troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan. An early opponent of waterboarding, he has applauded Obama's continued use of other counterterrorism measures.

"I think they both had an appreciation for the threat that we face," he said of the two presidents.

But he faults Obama for not leaving a residual force in Iraq and for creating uncertainty about what the U.S. presence will be in Afghanistan after 2014.

And he distinguishes between the presidents. Under Bush, he said the United States became a nation "that was ready to pursue our enemies."

"Obviously, President Obama viewed this as a time to withdraw and not to make military commitments overseas."

Rhodes makes a similar point, though differently.

"The trajectory under the previous administration was an increased military presence overseas," he said. "President Obama would like his legacy to be the reduction of military presence overseas and having, ideally, zero troops in harm's way."

Follow Abel RK on Twitter  @robins_abel; @abel_robins; @abelkalamata

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MANCHESTER UNITED, The KINGS OF England!

Van Persie, wearing number 20, helps his team crowned Kings for the 20th times. 

That is what Robin Van Persie came to do at Old Trafford, "To be Crowned as King".

Do we need speak much about them? I don't think so. Everybody knew, I guess, they were going to be crowned "Kings" of England's football. This is because of how far they were/are from not only the other teams but also the second team Manchester City in the league standings.

 Everybody is a King there. They rule together as one.

They all deserve happiness because they shared the same effort

Have your say about Manchester United. Anything good for them!

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Here are Barcelona With Their Football Fathers Bayern Munich

As it happened during their Semi-final first leg 

May be most people gave a greater chance to Barcelona to win the game because it is always in people's minds that the team is to win most of their games and this is because of the kind of football they normally play. Of course their football impresses many football lovers, I dare say that.

Showing how confident they were

Things were very, very different Yesterday! This is coming from the fact that life became impossible to Barcelona or difficult if you want me to use an easy language especially to Barca fans.

That is how tired Messi became

Being beaten 4-0 goals by Bayern Munich was an amazing thing to many football viewers. I mean no one expected that to be truthful! But I also dare say that Bayern Munich deserved the winning because they were in the same level with Barca; the semi-final level. So, it was either Bayern Munich or Barcelona to win the game, but 4-0 was amazing, really amazing!

Seems they prepared a big win

Be honest; Did you expect Barcelona to lose the game, especially in that manner?

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Falcao - 'Just a step away from Manchester United'. Via HITC SPORT

Manchester United are being linked with Falcao.

News like a bombshell is emerging from Spain this morning, although time will tell ultimately if it is news, or simply paper gossip column fodder.

Spanish newspaper Marca have sensationally claimed that Manchester United have entered the bidding for Falcao.

The Colombian striker is the most sought after striker in world football, valued at £50 million, and a target for Chelsea and Manchester City.

It is being reported that United have made a 'down payment' to Atletico Madrid, to guarantee his transfer.

Marca state that a similar move was made by United with regard to the transfer of David de Gea two seasons ago, and the clubs maintain a positive working relationship.

Atletico recently convened a meeting along with Falcao's agent admitted they stood little chance of matching offers put to the player this summer, and cashing in was likely their best option.

Falcao's agent is Jorge Mendes, who also represents United target Ezequiel Garay, and Anderson, Nani, and Cristiano Ronaldo among others.

The advantages of United going after Falcao are simple - he brings guaranteed goals, and as Robin van Persie has shown this season at crucial times, goals lead to titles.

It is exactly why City and Chelsea want to sign him to catch up with United, so if Sir Alex Ferguson could tempt the player to Old Trafford then it would be a major blow to their rivals.

What it would mean however is an almost certain exit for Javier Hernandez in attack, who is already struggling for gametime, and has even been linked with Atletico Madrid in recent weeks.

It could also lead to questions over Wayne Rooney's future, with the Englishman himself being linked with a big money move to PSG, which is one way United could finance a Falcao deal.

They also have players like Anderson, Young, Vidic and Nani who they could sell to raise funds to put towards an ambitious transfer.

If Marca's report is true - with them writing in their headline Falcao is just 'a step away from United', then it is exciting news for fans of the club, but their articles lacks sources to verify the claims, so we will simply have to wait and see how this one develops.

Do you think Falcao to United is even possible? 

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Kama Wewe ni Mshabiki wa Nguvu wa Kandanda. Nani atashinda Game Champions League kati ya Real Madrid na Galatasaray?

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Balotelli handed three-match ban. According to Fox News

AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has been handed a three-match ban from Serie A play after verbally abusing a match official on Sunday.

Balotelli picked up a yellow card in the club's 2-2 draw with Fiorentina to earn an automatic one-match suspension, but Serie A confirmed Tuesday that the 22-year-old will miss two additional games for directing insults at one of the assistant referees.

The ban rules Balotelli out of the meetings with Napoli, Juventus and Catania, all of which are important matches in Milan's bid to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League. The club comes into the weekend in third place in Italy's top flight with 58 points.

 

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Lady Thatcher's funeral wishes will save taxpayer £800,000. As Written by The Telegraph

In keeping with her directions, the former Prime Minister will not lie in state for the public to visit or have a military fly-past.

Arrangements for lying in state have previously cost the public purse more than £825,000, according to the House of Commons Library.

Military costs for previous ceremonial funerals can also add up to more than £300,000, including fly-pasts and attendance by some regiments.

On the day of Lady Thatcher’s death, her spokesman, Lord Bell, said she did not want arrangements that would be a "waste of money - somewhat in character you might think”.

Lady Thatcher is having a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral, and the costs will be borne jointly by the Government and the state. Policing could cost around £4 million if security is as tight as at the Queen Mother's funeral.

Having a ceremonial funeral means her family have more control over the guest list and heads of state will not necessarily be invited.

Another key difference is that a state funeral needs MPs to vote for it through a parliamentary motion. A gun carriage bearing the coffin would also be drawn by Royal Navy sailors, rather than by horses.

State funerals are usually given to monarchs, but in the past they have also been used to honour Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Palmerston and Sir Winston Churchill.

For Lady Thatcher’s funeral, the coffin will leave Westminster by hearse, but then be transferred to a gun carriage for the final procession to St Paul’s, drawn by the King’s Troop Royal Artillery and met by a guard of honour at the Cathedral.

Later, her ashes will be laid beside those of her husband at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, after a private cremation.

There is no official process setting out who gets state and ceremonial funerals, but the monarch, Prime Minister, and Parliament have been involved in the past.

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